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Pentax Q trial starts

jonoslack

Active member
Portraits of a friend:
. . . and other stuff
Well Ricardo - I'm pretty impressed, mostly by your photography, but the camera seems to be performing better than one could reasonably expect (the 6400 ISO doesn't turn me on, but then).

excellent - you're doing a grand job!
 

raist3d

Well-known member
Well Ricardo - I'm pretty impressed, mostly by your photography, but the camera seems to be performing better than one could reasonably expect (the 6400 ISO doesn't turn me on, but then).

excellent - you're doing a grand job!
Thanks for the words. Yeah, I am afraid that the Q is being by passed by a few due to false preconceptions (in addition to price). I am still mulling considering a Pen mini + Panasonic F1.7 pancake, but ironically I was checking an ISO 3200 shot of a pen mini and it's a bit funny how impossibly close the Q comes to it in some ways… oh and the Pen had a little banding. I have yet to see *any banding* even when doing ISO 6400 on the Q and pushing it up even one more stop (just for kicks). Oh and the Pen mini has that wheel in the interface I have grown to hate oh so much.

Now, Pentax I think needs to come out with a lower price. I read somewhere that the initial Q is "so small/cute" splash has been a bit eroded by the price, something that a part of me is inclined to agree with. While I do think part of the price goes into the camera build and what it can do, seeing that Jessops had it for the equivalent of $548 USD including VAT(!) in the UK makes me think that if Pentax had released this at the $600 MSRP USD mark with a street of $550 more cameras would have sold, and in a system camera you make cash on lenses too.

Of course, being such a small system, Pentax has to make some cash on the body, which, is understandable. More so considering they pack in a nice lens/prime.

Here's a few other tid bits that are missed in some comparisons (these are just examples):

- The X10 has ISO 6400 that is kinda nice, but it's 6 megapixels. 12800 at 3 megapixels (I believe). The Q has ISO 6400 at 12 megapixels. For a valid comparison, the Q image needs to be down sampled, which closes the ISO gap.

- As I mentioned in the X10 thread, shooting wide open on the X10 at full daylight may require an ND filter. That's about at least $150 USD more with the custom Fuji adapter + good quality ND filter. And now the X10 doesn't fit in the pocket (I can corroborate the X10 could fit in my jeans pocket) while the X10 now sits at $750 USD….

- I examined the X10 files again today and they are nice, but the Q really isn't that far off at all overall. I didn't examine say ISO 1600 shots, possibly the X10 pulls ahead in a more notable way particularly in the low noise EXR mode.

- Many people don't realize the Q can shoot at 1/8000th of a sec (with the 'premium' lenses) and sync with external flash to 1/250th of a sec. These two numbers are mid-semi pro DSLR class numbers(!).

- The vast majority of the reviews of the Q were done previous to the firmware upgrade that Pentax released for the premium lenses and camera (like 4/3rds, m4/3rds, the lenses apparently have a micro controller too).

Pentax should have made a bigger fanfare about it, because the firmware upgrades not only brought stability of operation as they said, but also increased auto focus speed, and shortened startup time to the point that it now feels zippy (I did test it before the firmware upgrade).

So if you read some of the "downs" to the Q in the reviews, they complain about startup time and AF speed… something that got addressed at least in a big part.

I honestly can't being to describe how much fun is to have such a little, well built, photographer centric-ergonomically simple yet feature rich camera. What I want here to see is what Pentax Ricoh does from here - if they re-released say the same lens but F1.2 instead of F1.9 that would completely change the camera even further to be a really apt low light shooter and have a rather decent bokeh control at least for the portraits (it does to some degree already anyway).

- Raist
 

raist3d

Well-known member
A friend of mine sort of slammed down on my last round of photos- basically the processing could be better. After some back and forth I re-processed three of them. Here's an example of the changes for one of them:

(left shot is before, right shot is after):



If you still see the old shots, clear the browser cache and reload this page. I think SHIFT + RELOAD should do it also.

- Raist
 

raist3d

Well-known member
Wow - I know that expression . . . . She is saying.
You will NOW order that Pentax Q from Jessops and send it to me in the States . . .
IMMEDIATELY
Ok, now, that *is* scary… scary for how accurate :)

I just looked at this . . .Wow!
Well… yeah… the Q makes the X10 look too big. I can tell you the difference is even bigger in real life.

- Raist

PS: Interface rant- I am so surprised how well thought out Pentax got the interface of the Q. You would think that the buttons on the side where you hold the camera since they end up being underneath your thumb and palm will be accidentally enacted. Not so- the buttons are receded enough with enough pressure so that does not happen.

In turn the X10 with the fantastic wonder Canon PowerShot UI WHEELtm, I accidentally went to the wrong picture three times when reviewing shots I was taking, and moreover, at one point don't know how, the "do you want to delete this picture" showed up on a shot I didn't take (don't tell Terry). I think that sort of made me lean to pass on the X10 as a final thing.

It's just little details like these that make you go hmmm… To the X10 credit, the bokeh it has is beautiful.

- Ricardo
 

jonoslack

Active member
Ok, now, that *is* scary… scary for how accurate :)
Sadly I've not actually met Terry, but we've been communicating for several years - I'm sure that she's a formidable character . . . . although (he hastens to add) my tongue was firmly in my cheek :)


Well… yeah… the Q makes the X10 look too big. I can tell you the difference is even bigger in real life.

- Raist

PS: Interface rant- I am so surprised how well thought out Pentax got the interface of the Q. You would think that the buttons on the side where you hold the camera since they end up being underneath your thumb and palm will be accidentally enacted. Not so- the buttons are receded enough with enough pressure so that does not happen.
Hmmm - my trouble is that I find that interfaces are like good rock albums - the one's you like in the first instance aren't necessarily the ones you go on to like later on!

Case in point is the NEX 5 - I bought one when it came out and simply couldn't get on with it . .. . the 5n is a little different I know, but having spent an hour or so beating it into shape . . . . and then practicing lots . . . I find it rather good now.
 

Terry

New member
Sadly I've not actually met Terry, but we've been communicating for several years - I'm sure that she's a formidable character . . . . although (he hastens to add) my tongue was firmly in my cheek :)
I don't know which word makes me giggle more formidable or character :p


Hmmm - my trouble is that I find that interfaces are like good rock albums - the one's you like in the first instance aren't necessarily the ones you go on to like later on!

Case in point is the NEX 5 - I bought one when it came out and simply couldn't get on with it . .. . the 5n is a little different I know, but having spent an hour or so beating it into shape . . . . and then practicing lots . . . I find it rather good now.
The pre firmware NEX 5 never really annoyed me. Certainly not as much as Michael Reichmann, Thom Hogan etc. and just for Ricardo - it certainly never annoyed me as much as the Oly interface. :D
 

jonoslack

Active member
I don't know which word makes me giggle more formidable or character :p
Well - giggle lots about both :) I'm rather partial to tongue in cheek myself!



The pre firmware NEX 5 never really annoyed me. Certainly not as much as Michael Reichmann, Thom Hogan etc. and just for Ricardo - it certainly never annoyed me as much as the Oly interface. :D
I probably didn't spend long enough on it . . . . but then they probably didn't either. . . . . . and just for Ricardo I agree :thumbup:
 

raist3d

Well-known member
I don't know which word makes me giggle more formidable or character :p
I say formidable :p At least I would prefer that one for myself :)


The pre firmware NEX 5 never really annoyed me. Certainly not as much as Michael Reichmann, Thom Hogan etc. and just for Ricardo - it certainly never annoyed me as much as the Oly interface. :D
Hehehe…. I still think I would pick Olympus on that one :)

- Ricardo
 

raist3d

Well-known member
So….. saw the E-PM1 today and handled it a bit.

I can't understand why go for the E-PM1 when the E_PL3 is oh so close in size and weight to it. Very very close. It's hard to see the difference actually. The only win is less intimidating UI (in theory) for the masses.

Both have the wheel I hate so much. The construction feels to me a bit odd on the E_PL3 in the sense that it feels a bit of a … tech gadget more than a camera. This is probably the biggest difference between the EPM1/EPL3 and EP3 - the EP3 feels much more like a camera even if it still has a tech aspect to it.

So why am I thinking a Pen? Well two main reasons: bokeh control and ability to use my 4/3rd lenses which are not sitting on a kitchen shelf doing nothing. Hyper fast AF is bonus points. Better image quality? I guess… more because of the lenses than the sensor, I think.

Seems like the EPM1 + Panny F1.7 pancake would be heavier and stick sout a bit more on my jeans if I got one there… on a logical level I am thinking about it. On a "fun/want" level I am not.

- Raist
 

etrigan63

Active member
I guess I will be joining the fun on this thread as my review sample of the Pentax Q just arrived. I am charging the battery as we speak and reviewing the manual. My wife saw it and immediately fell in love with it. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. We'll see how the images pan out for me as well.
 

raist3d

Well-known member
Review sample ? Another one? ;-). What do I have to do to get a review sample, I want in that party! ;-)

Raist

Ps. By all men's post your shots
 

raist3d

Well-known member
The Q trial has ended. It stays. More soon or during the weekend. Also at some point a Q review.

- Raist
 
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